Johnson who is from Long Island, had to reportedly spend 10 days in a burn unit. He suffered second and third-degree burns on his inner thigh. Apple in a statement to WABC-TV said that the company is investigating the matter. However, according to CBS New York Johnson is considering suing Apple for this mishap.

This isn’t the first time we are hearing about iPhone bursting for unknown reasons. There have been reports in the past about iPhone 4 catching fire and bursting. While in another case the phone blew up while it was charging.

Even though such cases have been fairly limited in number, it does raise concerns about faulty battery in certain devices. In the past, if any particular issue has been found with a component in the devices the company sells, it has initiated replacement and exchange programmes.

We will have to wait for the results of Apple’s investigation regarding this matter. As a general practice it is always advised to use original accessories for your devices to avoid any damage to the battery or other components.

It’s that time of the year again when new iPhone release date nears and rumours about new features and hardware specifications reach an all time high. Apple is widely expected to announce iPhone 6 during a special media event in September. Even though the company tries hard to keep its plan a secret, large scale production in Asia and multiple supply partners makes it difficult for the company to keep its new product lineup a secret.

According to various news reports published in the past, iPhone 6 is expected to be available in two variants, 4.7 inch screen and 5.5 inch screen. Recently Nowhereelse.fr and Macotakara published photos of the purported batteries of 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch iPhone 6. The leaked photos of the battery reveals that the 4.7 inch variant of the iPhone 6 will feature a capacity of 1,810 mAh. In comparison iPhone 5s features 1,560 mAh battery.

5.5 inch variant of the iPhone 6 will feature a capacity of 2,925 mAh. This could certainly provide much longer battery life. Apple’s competitor Samsung has been aggressively targeting iPhone users, referring to them as wall huggers who constantly need to charge their phones.

Increase in battery life could prove to be a major selling point for Apple’s upcoming smartphone. Since the addition of 3G, 4G and LTE and retina displays, iPhones have become much more power hungry and its difficult to go through the entire day without keeping a charger handy.

As always the authenticity of these leaked photos can’t be confirmed however, the part numbers, dimensions of the battery in the photo and analyst reports published in the past seem to point towards better battery life in the new iPhone 6.

Apple is rumoured to hold iPhone 6 media event on Tuesday, September 9. Are you looking to buy the new iPhone 6? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

During the special event today Apple announced the worldwide availability of OS X Mavericks. The tenth major release of OS X brings technological advancements, new apps and battery enhancements to the Mac.

Apple is beginning a new pricing model for its software updates of OS X with the release of Mavericks. Today Apple announced that OS X Mavericks will be available for free as a digital download from the Mac App Store.

The tenth major version of OS X brings iBooks and Maps app to the Mac for the first time. Users will now be able to read and buy books from their Macs. Maps app provides directions, street view and integrates with Calendar app.

Safari includes shared links from your social networking accounts like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. It also bring significant speed and performance improvements to the browsing experience.

OS X Mavericks brings new ways to organise your files by assigning tags to each file. Multiple tags can be assigned to a single file to make it easier for you find a file and organise your work flow. Finder now also includes tabbed browsing to avoid the clutter of multiple Finder windows taking up your screen space.

One of the most notable features in the new software update is iCloud Keychain. This allows you to upload your log in details from the KeyChain Access app to iCloud and autofill your username and passwords. This would also be available to iOS devices in a new update.

Advanced technologies included in the update make it more energy efficient and make your Mac more responsive even as you use more apps. One of the ways the company has accomplished this by introducing App Nap and Safari Power Saver. These features allot more resources to the app in the forefront while slowing the apps in the background.

OS X Mavericks is now available for download for free from the Mac App Store. Follow the download link here. The update comes at 5.29GB.

Following months of speculation and rumors, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller took the stage on Wednesday to introduce the long awaited iPhone 5. The media event, which was scheduled a week ago pointed to such a release and now the device has finally been revealed.

The iPhone 5, as expected has a larger 4 inch screen, and runs all pre-installed apps with a larger vertical area, and runs non-optimized third party apps letterboxed. The home screen has been stretched out a bit to hold 5 rows of apps, as opposed to 4 and the display is still the Retina Display with a 1136 x 640 resolution. The iPhone 5 now has an aspect ratio close to 16:9 now, making it great for watching widescreen movies.

The iPhone 5 now also carries faster LTE networking which will be supported by Sprint, AT&T and Verizon in the United States, Rogers, Telus, Bell, Fido, Virgin in Canada and numerous other carriers overseas. The iPhone also includes WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n, and is dual-channel, up to 150Mbps, making it much faster than the iPhone 4S. All of the networking and the larger Retina Display is powered by an all new A6 chip produced by Apple.

The A6 chip is 22% smaller than its predecessor, the A5 and has a 2X faster CPU and 2x graphics compared to the A5. During the keynote, Apple invited up EA games to demo Real Racing 3, showing off new improvements in graphics performance. Other major changes include the larger, all metal and glass design leaked prior to the event, along with a relocated FaceTime camera above the earpiece. Other features include:

Battery

The larger battery in the iPhone 5 shell now allows 8 hours of 3G or LTE talk time or 10 hours on WiFi while browsing

Camera

The iPhone 5 will carry the same specs as the iPhone 4S camera but will do so in a much thinner package. It has the same 8-megapixels and a 5-element lens as the 4S but will have a Sapphire crystal lens cover for more clarity and durability. The new A6 will provide for less noise during image captures along with a “smart filter” for better color matching. Apple, as expected prior to the event will also be including Panorama imaging, capturing images at 28 megapixels in one clean sweep.

The company also updated the front facing FaceTime camera to 720P HD and backside illuminated. FaceTime is now also possible over Cellular announced during WWDC.

Audio

The iPhone now has 3 microphones, one on the front, one in front for noise cancellation, and one on the back.

Dock Connector

The dock connector, called Lightning, will be an all digital 8 pin design and is 80% thinner than the previous design. The Lightning charger can now be plugged in any way and does not have a designated side. There is also a converter for the new dock connector that has the ability to work with the current 30 pin connectors.

Apple’s iPhone 5, with all of its new improvements alongside iOS 6 will make this Apple’s most powerful iPhone to date. iOS 6 will be released to the public on September 19th and will ship on the new iPhone 5, and will run on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch.

The iPhone 5 will be available on contract for $199 for 16GB. $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB respectively. The iPhone 5 will be available for Pre-Order starting Friday the 14th and will be shipping on September 21st in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. It will be arriving to 20 more countries later this month.

{Image Credit: Engadget}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) products have been evaluated by the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) for many years now, and a number of their products introduced were rated EPEAT Gold for staying in accordance with green practices. On Friday, AAPL notified EPEAT that they will be withdrawing their products from environmental rating because of design constraints. In an interview with CIO Journal, EPEAT CEO, Robert Frisbee explained Apple’s reasons for pulling their products from being rated.

They said their design direction was no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements,” Frisbee said. The company did not elaborate, Frisbee said. “They were important supporters and we are disappointed that they don’t want their products measured by this standard anymore.”

EPEAT requires the products they rate to meet certain criteria, such as being able to recycle parts of the product as well as being able to disassemble the product. Apple’s recent design changes on the Retina MacBook prevent users and other 3rd party handlers from tampering with the battery. Apple replaced the previously accessible battery door with a solid piece of aluminum and customized screws.

As a result, Apple’s MacBooks no longer qualify for EPEAT’s evaluations. The “design direction” referred to in the report may also be shed light on Apple’s next generation of Mac computers, which may or may not use products that would meet EPEAT’s criteria. iFixit explained some of the criteria in a response to Apple’s decision to withdraw from EPEAT’s rating.

“According to my EPEAT contacts, Apple’s mobile design direction is in conflict with the intended direction of the standard. Specifically, the standard lays out particular requirements for product “disassemble-ability,” a very important consideration for recycling: “External enclosures, chassis, and electronic subassemblies shall be removable with commonly available tools or by hand.”

Currently, Apple’s iPhone and iPad are not certified by EPEAT and as a result are not affected by Apple’s decision to withdraw its Mac products. There is speculation that this decision may affect Apple financially. At this point, it is unclear if Apple will run into any issues, however, it is interesting to note that the U.S government does require 95% of all electronic purchases to be EPEAT certified.

{via MacRumors}

The iPad draws many of its features from the iPhone and iPod touch, and with its introduction in January of 2010, took on the iOS software, the capacitative touchscreen, and the famous 30 pin dock connector in portrait mode. Since then, the dock connector has been the focal point of numerous complaints, suggesting that the iPad is hard to use in landscape mode when the iPad is charging in portrait orientation. Rumors and even photos of iPad shells with dual dock connectors began to appear several months after the original iPad was introduced, and now there is tangible evidence to support that claim.

On Monday, a prototype of what appears to be a first generation iPad with dual dock connectors surfaced in an eBay listing. The iPad is a 16GB model with dock connectors in both landscape and portrait orientation, proving that Apple was indeed testing a number of iPad models with two dock connectors to make charging simpler when a user switches orientation.

The iPad being sold is close to being functional, aside from a number of minor issues such as the touch screen not being fully operational. Upon further inspection of all documentation for the iPad, it was confirmed that this could in fact, be a genuine Apple prototype. A number of pieces are labeled with Apple part numbers and as mentioned in the listing, comes with Apple’s Switchboard software.

Apple uses Switchboard to test all parts of the iPad, from checking the WiFi to ambient light sensors. As with many of Apple’s prototypes, the “iPad” name is not branded on the rear shell and is instead marked with an ID number and a series of X’s where the battery and FCC ratings would go. The eBay listing for the iPad started at $4,850 and was sold for $10,200. It is unclear exactly how the eBay seller acquired the prototype, or if Apple will attempt to confiscate the device, but it is up for sale and one person will own a prototype of a device that was assumed didn’t exist.

{via MacRumors}

On Monday, Apple released iOS 5.1.1, the latest iOS update since 5.1 which brought a number of bug fixes and battery life fix for the iPhone 4S. The latest free software update is only an incremental upgrade and as expected, brings a number of bug fixes and performance enhancements for the iPhone, iPad, and the iPod touch. The exact details of the update from the Apple website are as follows:

This update contains improvements and bug fixes, including:

• Improves reliability of using HDR option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut
• Addresses bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks
• Fixes bugs that affected AirPlay video playback in some circumstances
• Improved reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List
• Fixes an issue where ‘Unable to purchase’ alert could be displayed after successful purchase

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Perhaps one of the biggest bugs in iOS that was fixed by this update was the bug that prevented the iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks, which could cause either the user to experience very slow data speeds or would force them to shut off 3G and turn it back on in order to bring the network back up.

It’s interesting to note that Apple picks up on minor bugs in iOS and pushes out fixes as quickly as they do. This is likely why iOS is one of more stable mobile operating systems out on the market, tightly controlled by Apple’s ecosystem and managed very well. iOS 5.1.1 is now available and can be downloaded via iTunes or the OTA (Over The Air) feature on all iOS devices running iOS 5 or later.

{via iMore}

Apple released the New iPad 3 about a week ago and new rumors about iPhone 5 continue to surface on the web. On Friday, a report from iMore suggested that Apple’s next generation iPhone 5 is expected to release this Fall and will include LTE, as expected and retain the same 3.5 inch screen.

A number of sources have suggested that Apple is looking to upgrade the new iPhone to a 4-inch screen, but iMore’s sources suggest otherwise. The report also suggests that if not the same 3.5 inch screen, it will be “very similar”.

So to sum up, iPhone 5,1 is on track for:

– Similar if not same sized screen (currently 3.5-inch but not set in stone)
– 4G LTE radio
– New “micro dock” connector
– Fall/October 2012 release

The online publication has a good track record of reporting on Apple product announcements, including the March 7th announcement date for the New iPad as well as the addition of LTE. The fast 4G connectivity is widely expected to be included in the iPhone 5, however, a larger screen size is still questionable.

The inclusion of larger battery, LTE and quad-core graphics to support the retina display has raised some concerns regarding heat, data consumption and battery life. It will be interesting to see if Apple will have to let go of iPhone’s thin form factor in order to include LTE and support quad-core graphics.

{via MacRumors}

Rumors of Apple announcing the iPad 3 were put to rest on Tuesday, after the company issued invite for a special media event on March 7th. The event is clearly intended to unveil iPad 3 and announce its release date. The invite shows an iPad in use, and a line reading, “We have something you really have to see. And touch”.

Now, with the third-gen iPad announcement confirmed, previous rumors about the iPad 3 being thicker than the 2 have re-emerged. Rumors of the iPad 3 being thicker spread after the back shell of the iPad 3 was found and measured.

The iPad 3 shell was measured with a digital vernier caliper, showing that it is 9.50mm thick. That is exactly 0.81mm thicker than the current iPad 2 which comes in at about 8.69mm, revealed from an image posted by Apple.pro.

The measurements confirm claims from late last year that the third generation iPad would carry the same 9.7” screen size with a thicker shell. The thicker shell would allow Apple to possibly house a larger battery and more improvements.

Other reports suggest that Apple is looking to use dual-LED light bars in the iPad 3 to accomodate and light more pixels, possibly a Retina display. Apple’s invitiation usually hints at what might be introduced at the event, it is likely that by saying “we have something you really have to see”, they are referring to a higher resolution screen. The iPad 3 is going to be announced on March 7th at the Yerba Buena Arts Center in San Francisco. The event will be held at 10AM Pacific, and 1PM ET.

iOS 5.1 has been on the horizon for a few months now, with no real confirmation about the release date from Apple. On Wednesday, carrier profiles that were recently published by iPhone carriers in Japan, France, Greece, Finland, and Sweden revealed that March 9th may be the actual release date for iOS 5.1 software update. Users of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch have been waiting for update since last November, especially iPhone 4S users who have been waiting for a solution to their battery life issues.

Apple released iOS 5.0.1 a few weeks following the release of the iPhone 4S, however, this update failed to produce any solid solutions to the battery issue. Apple has been slowly issuing betas of iOS 5.1 to developers, and has been working on major issues identified with iOS 5 and 5.0.1. In previous years, Apple released major iOS updates alongside new iPhone hardware in June, however, Apple released iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S in October last year, throwing off the annual cycle.

There have been no reports as to what features the iOS 5.1 update would be bringing to devices, however, the March 9th release date coincides with the rumored iPad 3 time frame. This points to the possibility of iOS 5.1 to be announced alongside iPad 3. It’ll be interesting to see how Apple plans to release iOS 5.1 and the iPad 3, bring the iPhone release back to June, and bring iPod updates back to September.

{via iMore}

Mophie Juice Pack Air Case for iPhone 4S & 4 Review: Never Run Out of Battery Again

The Mophie Juice Pack Air is a battery life extender case. I often find myself running low on battery on my iPhone 4S when I put it through a long day of use. By adding minimal bulk to your phone, this accessory allows you to charge your iPhone 4S with the battery that is built into the case.

The first thing a case has to do for me is pass the eye test and the Mophie case certainly does that. It comes in 3 colors: red, white and black. I went with the black version and was very impressed with how sleek and smooth the contour of the phone looks with this case. Sure it adds bulk but don’t forget that this case’s main objective is to keep your battery alive.

The case virtually doubles your battery life, allowing you to enjoy up to 36 extra hours of audio and nine extra hours of video playback, in addition to the battery life of your iPhone. The juice pack air is also a winner of a CES Innovations 2011 Design and Engineering Award.

The Juice Pack Air is super easy to affix to your phone as it is two pieces that come together to protect your phone. Its only vulnerabilities are of course the face of the phone like any case and the open top section of the case. The openings on the case fit great and allow your to use all ports without adapters except the port on the bottom which i will dive into more a bit later. The back has somewhat of a rubbery feel which makes the phone easier to hold on to in my opinion.

My favorite part about this case is how it adds the additional battery. Not just by acting as another battery but instead by charging the iPhone’s battery when you flick the switch on the lower left side of the case. I thought this was a great idea and love the fact that I can flick the switch when I see fit and it isn’t set to some predetermined amount. Another very cool aspect of the case is the battery meter at the bottom of the case. There is a button that you press and four LEDs next to it that tell you how much charge is left in the case so you always know how much power you have.

The cons of this case are few and far between but there are a few that I must mention. First, the case does add some bulk and usually that is a show stopper for me but with the additional battery you gain from this case I think its worth it. Also, the Juice Pack Air uses a micro USB plug instead of the standard apple cable. This could be troubling for people that rely on docks frequently or don’t feel like purchasing additional cables. I was able to pick up a few additional cables on Amazon with minimal fiscal set back.

When I charged my phone with this case at night, the LEDs on the bottom blinked. Don’t get me wrong it’s nice to know its charging but it will light the room up if not positioned properly.

Overall the case is great but there are definitely a few things to know going into it. If you are looking for a case that can add additional battery without making your phone look archaic, look no further. Give the Mophie Juice Pack Air a try.

What we like:

• Added Battery Life
• Sleek Look
• Functionality

What to know:

• Bright LEDs when charging
• Cable type change
• Added bulk to phone

On Monday, Apple released iOS 5.1 beta 3 to developers for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, adding on the previous beta versions released late last year. Apple released iOS 5.1 Beta 2 on December 12 with Build number 9B5127a. The current beta now uses build number 9B5141a.

iOS 5.1 beta 3 restores a sought after feature by many users, Enable 3G. The Enable 3G toggle allows users to completely shut off their cellular data, something that is currently unavailable. iOS users who use WiFi at work and home, experience heavy battery loss due to the fact that 3G and WiFi are running simultaneously. With this new feature, users can simply switch off 3G and use WiFi and can switch on WiFi just as easily. Apple noted under the toggle feature, that “3G offers faster data speeds but uses more battery power than EDGE”.

The new beta 3 is now available on Apple’s iOS developer program portal and is available to developers to download via OTA update. Apple also released Xcode 4.3 Developer Preview 3 and Apple TV Software Beta 2, as they have with all other beta updates in the past. It also appears that Apple has posted a new API to help developers flag app content that should not be backed up. The addition of these two new features and other security updates may not be the last of the updates, just yet.

iOS 5.1 introduces a new API to mark files or directories that should not be backed up. For NSURL objects, add the NSURLIsExcludedFromBackupKey attribute to prevent the corresponding file from being backed up.

With a beta 4 or the final release, Apple may add more features to help conserve battery life and improve stability.

Rumors of Apple’s iPad 3 have been on the web since earlier this year, as early as the day that Apple announced the iPad 2, however, very little has been revealed about the 3rd generation device until now. On Friday, an image on a Korean forum depicted what appeared to be two displays, one claimed to be from the current iPad 2 and the other, the next generation iPad 3. The image on top is believed to be from the iPad 2 and the bottom from the iPad 3.

Both are 9.7″ in diagonal, although, the bottom screen has a different configuration for the attached cabling, leading speculators to believe that it is entirely for a new device. The current iPad 2 contains 3 brown cables from the screen to the circuit board, where as the iPad 3 display contains 3 wide ribbon cables that might be used for data. The new iPad 3 is also expected to include a higher resolution screen of 2048×1536, roughly 3 times the number of pixels in the current generation iPad.

The iPad 2 was rumored to support the Retina Display, however in order to preserve the 10 hour battery life and keep the costs low Apple did not include the high resolution screen. The leaked photo is the best source of speculation out there at this point, with very little to no evidence of an existing iPad 3.

Rumors also suggest that Apple is switching to a new type of display from a company named IGZO, which allows higher resolutions without sacrificing battery life. The iPad 3 is expected to be released during the first half of 2012, although recent reports also suggest a Fall 2012 time frame.

{via MacRumors}

PowerMat for the iPhone 4 [rating: 4/5]

I love new technology and so when I read about a new accessory that allows you to charge your phone without have the hassle of having to plug it into a power outlet I was fascinated.  So after a recent visit to a local superstore I found myself to be the proud owner of a PowerMat case for my iPhone 4 and PowerMat charging station.

Returning home I was eager to see it in action so I immediately started the unboxing process.  Everything was well packaged and I started with the getting the case on my iPhone 4.  The case is a hard plastic shell which pivots about 1/2 an inch from the top allowing the iPhone to slide down into the case and connect to the connector that is in the bottom of the case.

The case adds approximately 1/4 inch to the bottom of the iPhone but a couple of millimeters to the back and sides so it keeps the phone pretty streamlined and the nature of the case certainly doesn’t pick up the lint, dust and fluff of other cases.  It doesn’t add any protection to the front of the phone but a full screen protector could be used if required.

All hard buttons and access ports are available with one major issue.  The iPhone dock port at the bottom of the iPhone is converted to a micro USB port and a micro USB to USB cable is provided to allow you to continue to easily sync with you PC or Mac. However the problem with this arises with all the other accessories that you may have, you docks, speaker systems, car chargers etc. will not now work without removing the case so if you have a lot of these you’ll need to be prepared to remove the case regularly.

If you can overcome that potentially major issue then you can move on to the cool stuff!

As well as the PowerMat case you also need a PowerMat charging station, these come in a variety of sizes allowing you to charge 1, 2 or 4 devices at the same time.  I went for the two devices model and it’s surprisingly small, sleek and unobtrusive. It has four grip pads on the base allowing it to sit securely on any surface that you place it on.

After plugging it in to the power via the supplied power unit I was ready to place my device on it. Placing the device down on the mat you can feel a magnetic pull between the two units as the device is pulled into the correct position.  As soon as this is done a light will appear on the side of the charging station that is charging you phone which shows you that a good connection has been made.

Should you need to use you phone it’s as easy as picking if up as if it was on a shelf or table.  If your phone completes its charge while sitting on the charging station it while automatically switch off along with the charging light signifying that charging is complete.

Overall the experience of using the PowerMat is a good one as it magically charges your device without the need of any wires. However, the fact that it converts the apple dock with a mini USB can be a real pain especially if you have a lot of accessories that use that port.

Pros

• Charging with no wires
• Sleek charging station
• In-obtrusive case

Cons

• Default Apple connecter replaced with a mini USB

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